The present invention relates to smoking articles such as cigarettes. Preferred cigarettes of the present invention provide a flavorful mainstream smoke, yield relatively low levels of FTC "tar" and generate relatively low amounts of visible sidestream smoke.
Popular smoking articles such as cigarettes have a substantially cylindrical rod shaped structure and include a charge or roll of smokable material, such as shredded tobacco material (e.g., cut filler), wrapped in a paper wrapper, thereby forming a so-called "smokable rod" or "tobacco rod." It has become desirable to manufacture a cigarettes having a cylindrical filter element aligned in an end-to-end relationship with the tobacco rod. Typically, a filter element includes cellulose acetate tow circumscribed by plug wrap, and is attached to the tobacco rod using a circumscribing tipping material.
Cigarettes are employed by the user by burning one end thereof. The user then receives mainstream smoke into his/her mouth by drawing on the opposite end (e.g., the filter end) of the cigarette. During the time that the cigarette is not being drawn upon by the user, it remains burning, and sidestream smoke is generated. Sidestream smoke is smoke which directly enters the atmosphere during the static burn period of a smoking article. Sidestream smoke diffuses into the atmosphere, and the characteristic visible nature thereof may be perceived negatively by some individuals. The relative amount of visible sidestream smoke generated by a burning cigarette is related to the amount of sidestream "tar" generated by that burning cigarette. Typical cigarettes of about 84 mm length (e.g., having a tobacco rod length of about 57 mm and a filter element length of about 27 mm) often yield about 25 to about 35 mg of sidestream "tar" per cigarette. See, Proctor et al, Analyst, Vol. 113, p. 1509 (1988), for an apparatus and technique for determining the sidestream "tar" of a cigarette.
Certain consumers of cigarettes have indicated a desire to decrease the levels of visible sidestream smoke generated by their cigarettes. Cigarette paper wrappers for the preparation of tobacco rods are set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,231,377 to Cline et al, 4,420,002 to Cline, 4,461,311 to Matthews et al, 4,450,847 to Owens, and 4,805,644 to Hampl, Jr. et al. The paper wrappers proposed in the foregoing patents have a propensity to provide cigarettes which generate relatively low levels of visible sidestream smoke. Cigarettes which generate relatively low levels of visible sidestream smoke are set forth in U.S Pat. Nos. 4,407,308 to Baker, 4,561,454 to Guess, 4,607,647 to Dashley et al, 4,624,268 to Baker et al, and 4,637,410 to Luke, and European Patent Application No. 290,911.
It would be desirable to provide a cigarette which provides flavorful mainstream smoke, yields low levels of FTC "tar" and generates low levels of visible sidestream smoke.